Sacrifice
by Hannielou
Summary: Harry proposed to Ginny, then dissapeared. He's coming back and Ginny doesn't know whether to love or hate him...
1. Leaving Muggles

                **Disclaimer**: Basically, Ginny, Harry, Ron, the Burrow, the Weasly family, Hermione, even the Ministry of Magic – belong to JK Rowling.  Hope you knew that already.

                **Notes**: I became a G/H shipper about a week ago and haven't been satisfied with the stuff out there.  It's badly written, pointless and totally unnecessary.  So, I decided to try my hand at this stuff.  Feel free to flame me, praise me, criticize me or worship me – just review, please!

  


Ginny didn't care if she never saw her wand again. She'd gone to the Ministry of Magic and filed a temporary Release of Powers.  Her wand had been locked in a high-security vault.  _Just for a little while_, she'd promised herself.  _I need to get over Harry_.  But she was feeling so great, working as a Muggle reporter, that she didn't want to see the wand again.

                She could still remember the day, not yet a year ago, when Harry had woken her early and proposed to her.  The answer had been obvious – but her glee had been short-lived.  Because Harry Potter had disappeared that afternoon.

                It made no sense.  With Voldemort dead, and the Death Eaters all in prison, there was no one to kill Harry.  Except for Malfoy, his enemies had disappeared.

                "Ginny?" Ron suddenly apparated in her apartment.

                "Ron!" She scolded.  "I could've been naked."

                "I'm your brother," he said with a grin.  

                "So, what do you want?" Ginny asked, hands on her hips.  Ron's expression grew serious.

                "We found a letter on your bed.  Guess someone thought you'd see it.  We think it's from Harry, but we didn't open it.  It's addressed to you."

                Ron held out a piece of parchment that had been sealed.  Ginny's name was on the front, and it looked rather worn.

                _My Dearest Ginny,_

_You probably hate me now, if you're reading this.  Why would I propose to you and then run away?  Am I a coward?  I hope that you miss me, but I didn't want to do this.  The Ministry of Magic found evidence that the Dark Lord's memory – remember Tom Riddle? – is trapped in some old Muggle ruins.  I am the only one who can vanquish them.  I set out this afternoon and I don't know if I will come back.  I love you; Ginny, I hope that you will love me when I return.  I will come home on December first, or you will receive notice of my death._

_Love,_

_Harry_

                "Ron, what's today?" Ginny asked slowly, her eyes scanning the letter. 

                "November 30," he replied.  "Why?"

                "Harry's…Harry's coming home on the first of December, Ron."  She wiped a tear from her eye.  "It was Ministry stuff that kept him away…top secret, of course."

                "Doesn't that make you happy?" Ron asked, skimming the letter.

                "I don't know," Ginny admitted.  "I'm happy right now – thought I'd gotten over him.  And, I can't believe he proposed to me like that.  It was as if he knew he might die and he wanted to die knowing that I loved him.  Don't know if I shall forgive him."

                "_Ginny_," Ron admonished.  "You love the man, don't you?  You'd hate yourself if you told him you didn't like him.  It's a lie and it would hurt you and Harry both.  Come on; we'll tell Mum and Dad, get your wand and you can come back to the Burrow."

                Ginny mumbled something very softly.

                "What?"

                "Don't want my wand," Ginny said, but only a bit louder.

                "Stop being foolish," Ron said with a laugh.  "Ginny, you're stuck in a rut, and we all know it.  You _aren't_ happy, and you aren't going to be unless you get Harry back."

                "But what –" She took a deep breath.  "But what if he's _dead_?"

                "Forget about that," Ron told her.  "We're going back home."


	2. Harry isHome

**Notes**: This will have one more chapter, then a sequel, and maybe another sequel or something.  I am such an ardent H/G shipper that I doubt this will be my last H/G story.  It'll be like an epic, I guess, so this is the beginning.  Maybe I'll even do a little Prologue sometime with the day Harry left on it.  Would be interesting, no?  So, please review!

As Ginny surveyed the room, she could feel tears filling her eyes.  This was what she'd wanted to forget.  She'd been in this room with Harry, and he'd roused her out of bed _here_ the morning he proposed.  Her diary…she lifted the mattress and checked.  It was still there.  Cautiously, even though she was afraid of it, she pulled it out and turned to the very last page.

                _Dear Diary,_

_Harry proposed yesterday morning, and now he's gone.  We've tried to send Hedwig to him, but she won't go.  It makes us think something's wrong with him.  Maybe he's hurt?  I can't live my life without him!  He just has to be safe!  I thought he'd write a letter or something, but he just left without a trace.  Well, not completely.  There was a red heart on my mirror with our names on it, and I can only assume Harry left it as George and Fred were also home during the summer.  I think I shall have to start over.  I love you, Harry._

                Ginny 

She threw the diary down in disgust.  Did she love Harry, or was it just the crush she'd had on him before?  She had felt like the luckiest girl in the world when he proposed, but now she felt like the worst.

                "Ginny?" Bill poked his head in her room.

                "Yeah?" She tried to surreptitiously wipe her tears away, but Bill noticed.

                "Oh, Ginny," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder.  "Everything will be okay.  Harry will come back, safe, and you can get married.  Okay?"

                Ginny nodded, because she didn't trust herself to say anything.  

                "All right." Bill smiled.  "Then, Mum sent me up to tell you it's dinner time, if you'd care to join us.  I know for a fact that she made your favorite chicken and something very sweet for dessert!"  He laughed, and Ginny managed a feeble chuckle.

                "I'll come," she said.

* * * * * *

                It felt odd to be sitting with her family when she was so used to dining alone.  Fred and Angelina, George and Katie, Percy and Penelope, Charlie and Morgan, Bill and Susie, Ron – alone – and their parents.  She felt out of place, especially as the dinner topic turned to marriage and dating.  

                But Ginny was feeling apprehensive.  It was dinnertime, December 1st, and it was dark out.  Harry should be home by now, shouldn't he?  Oh, did she _want_ him home?  Wouldn't it be better if he just died?  

                No, it wouldn't.  Ginny knew that she'd cry if he died.  Still, it would be easier than dealing with a _live _Harry.

                "So, Ginny," Morgan's blue eyes focused on her for a minute, bringing her out of her reverie.  "What have you been doing in the Muggle world, lately?"  Morgan was a muggle, but she had a sister who'd gone to Hogwarts in Charlie's year.  That's how he'd met her.

                "I've been a reporter," Ginny said absently, "for the _Observer_.  Covering local events and stuff."

                "But without magic!" Morgan seemed fascinated.  "Tell me, Ginny, aren't you very conditioned to use a wand to solve problems?  Was it very hard to have to do things by hand?  I just started working for the Ministry of Magic, you see, as their Muggle Advisor, and it seems like a very hard thing to do, to convert like that."

                Ginny shrugged.  "Guess it is.  I didn't really notice."  Everyone else at the table looked down, almost embarrassed.  Good, Ginny thought.  They were right where they wanted to be, with _their _husbands and wives.

                "Well, we _must_ chat sometime."  Morgan smiled.  

                "Sure," Ginny mumbled.  She felt sick all of a sudden, like she wanted to throw up.  She wanted to die, right there, so that she wouldn't have to deal with Harry.  

                And then, right then, there was a knock on the door.  Ginny didn't need a crystal ball (she'd failed that part, actually) to tell her who it was.  Three sharp raps, strong footsteps – it was Harry.

                Mrs. Weasly rushed to the door and wiped her hands on her apron, before opening the door.

                It _was _Harry.  He had come home at last.


End file.
